Veracht
=Appearance= Marinus is tall, well built and muscular. He has broad shoulders, thick legs, and strong arms, a body built for combat. On his face and chest are the markings of the Serpent God Set, the symbols of Guidance on his cheeks, the Eternal Serpent on his chest. Marinus bears no other scars or markings. The Herald's skin is tough and the color of wet earth. Only his hands seem to be smooth, and even they are marred with callouses upon the fingers and palms from years of wielding the blade. Marinus walks with a loping, easy stride that eats up the ground as he moves. His eyes are always moving, and his hands are almost always clenched, his muscles tense. It is rare indeed to see Marinus Veracht relax. =Personality= Marinus believes in Set, but his true allegiance lies with Xotli. He is a fanatical follower of the dark patron and his reactions range from distaste to violence towards anyone questioning the power of his chosen deity. He is respectful and subdued unless the prospect of conflict is brought up, or his faith is questioned. When battle is a certainty Marinus becomes violent and irritable until the promised fighting has commenced. He is a very tense individual, and never takes his surroundings for granted. As one of the Resistance put it, "Marinus is like a caged tiger. He might seem calm, but he's ready. Just waiting for you to unlock that door and unleash him." =History= Marinus was an orphan in the city of Khemi. His parents were chosen by Set when he was only ten, and he thanked the Great Serpent for the gift of watching his beloved mother and father succumb to the venom of a hooded cobra while journeying through the Khopshef Province. After burying his parents Marinus became restless. Khemi held nothing of interest for him any longer, and the boy used the last of his parents' money to travel to Cimmeria. He became a mercenary and fought in many battles, cutting away the years with the tip of a sword. But Marinus Veracht was not much of a fighter. Reliant on his comrades for protection, he was told by many commanders that he was simply not built for battle. His body was puny, his muscles weak. He could not wear heavy armor or wield large weapons, and he lacked the grace to fight with smaller, faster weapons. Amongst his fellows, a rumor had spread as the mercenary band traveled through the deserts of Stygia escorting a trade caravan. They whispered of a ritual and dark cloaked cultists in the deep desert. Worshippers of a mad and powerful deity, a god that bestowed power, speed, and unearthly magics on his servants. Marinus was desperate. He had no place to return to in Khemi, and he lusted for battle. For blood. Most of all, he lusted for power. He found a camp deep in the sand dunes south of populated Stygia. The cultists welcomed him, claiming that they had seen visions of his coming. Intimidated, Marinus nevertheless decided to make his request. He begged the black cloaked and hard eyed men in that camp to make him a warrior. A force of death and destruction. And they simply whispered a single word, each of them pointing east to a large cave. The word was "Xotli." No memories remain from that night. Marinus awoke at the mouth of the cave, drenched in blood and stinking of brimstone. And he found that he had been changed. Molded into a god of the battlefield, his body fit and strong and rippling with muscles. He gripped his sword as though he had been born for it, and when he returned to thank the men who had led him to the cave, he found nothing. Not even ashes from the camp fire. Marinus heard of the rebellion taking place in the city of Tortage, and fought there for a short time. Over those few weeks he found it more and more difficult to suppress his demonic nature. His powers began to overwhelm him, and so he left the Resistance to their fate, knowing that a demon worshipper could not live among their ranks without being questioned. His paranoia began to grow after that, and he decided it would be prudent to return to Stygia where magics such as his were more common. Now Marinus has returned to Khemi to find employment. He is a mercenary by trade, and is willing to do anything, kill anyone. So long as the price is right.